


Notes from across the hall

by Wandering_in_space



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bisexuality, Fluff, M/M, Neighbors, enemies to lovers (kind of)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 08:36:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19059082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wandering_in_space/pseuds/Wandering_in_space
Summary: Robert moves into a new flat after a messy divorce. His new neighbor seems to criticize everything Robert does.





	Notes from across the hall

**Author's Note:**

> In this story, the Sugdens lived and grew up in Hotten, not Emmerdale, and thus have no real connection to the village except that it was near Hotten.

“This is interesting.” Vic remarked, looking at the clip that hung from the door frame of Robert's new flat. “What do ya suppose it's for?”

 

Robert placed the last of his boxes down and went to look at it properly. “Who knows, maybe it's for adverts.”

 

He had noticed it when he had done a walk through of the flat before he signed his lease but wasn't something he thought about again until Vic pointed it out. It might be for adverts, but it might be for announcements from the complex. 

 

Vic stayed for a bit, helping Robert organize boxes and commenting about Robert’s new flat in Leeds. It was the closest he had been to Victoria in years and the comfort of just having her in his space was something he didn’t realize he missed until she was there. She left shortly after, the drive from Leeds to her house wasn’t terrible, but Vic rarely drove at night.

 

After Vic left, Robert turned some music on from his phone and took stock around him at his new flat.

 

Robert Sugden was thirty-three, and starting his life over. After going through a messy divorce, he found himself empty and untethered. Feeling he couldn’t go further down, he swallowed his pride and called Vic, the first time they had spoken since their father’s funeral. They agreed to meet every so often in person, either Vic coming up to Leeds or Robert to Hotten, where she lived.

 

He was glad for Vic, glad she was understanding enough not to push Robert to speak to Diane or Andy. Robert thought eventually, he could maybe return to Hotten, where he grew up and see his stepmother and brother, but the wounds still felt raw and seeing Vic was enough for now.

 

Robert had stayed in a shithole of a flat after he and Chrissie split, needing a place to live in a short time while he gathered his bearings. He had to find a job, a real place to live, and start again. With the help of Vic, he had found the flat he was moving into, and by reaching out to old clients he was offered a position as a program manager at a modest agriculture estate. 

 

One of the reasons for the end of Chrissie and Robert’s marriage was Robert’s existential crisis of finally labeling himself as bisexual. He always knew in some capacity, but never once put words to his sexuality. Unfortunately it came at a price, when Robert took a man to bed and Chrissie found out about it. The funny thing was, they had long since fallen out of love with one another but had stayed for the easiness of it.

 

Chrissie was not happy about it and made Robert’s life hell when they filed for divorce. Getting caught out with a man in bed by Chrissie made him feel like he was fifteen again. When coworkers and friends asked why they were splitting up, Robert was adamant about not letting a soul know the real reason, and instead he told them they simply realized they just didn’t love each other anymore.

 

Even when Vic asked about it, that was the answer Robert gave. He knew she didn’t believe him, but thankfully had not pushed him. Even after accepting himself as bisexual, he felt he had taken two steps back into the closet after the humiliation of the end of his marriage.

 

Putting the last of his things from his boxes away, Robert turned the music off, and settled onto his bed. This was going to be his life now, and he wasn’t as maudlin about as he thought he would be. Starting over may be for the best.

 

\---

 

The next morning, on his way to work, Robert saw a piece of paper hanging from the clip Vic had commented on yesterday. None of the other doors had a paper from their clip, so Robert took it off with mild curiosity. When he opened it, there in messy scrawl was a note:

 

_ “Mate- Noone wants to hear ur shitty music. Either turn it down or get better taste.” _

 

Robert couldn't believe the words he read, wondering which one of his new neighbors was passive aggressive enough to leave this note. He stuffed the note into his messenger bag as he left the building. 

 

There were two possibilities on who was Robert's grumpy neighbor, Robert mused on his commute to work. Robert's flat is at the end of the hall, and the neighbor from across the hall and his flat share a wall in the kitchen. The other suspect was his next door, whom he shares his bedroom wall with. Robert was betting it was the neighbor from across the hall, when he was listening to music while he put away his stuff. 

 

Robert hadn’t had a neighbor in quite some time. When he was living in the previous flat, there was a vacancy next door, and then he lived with Chrissie for a number of years. He had no idea if people were generally ruder in the interim he had no neighbors, or if he just had a particularly grumpy and rude neighbor. 

 

The note burned in mind throughout the entire day. Anxiously, when he got home, he worried somehow there’d be another note criticizing something else Robert may have done. The clip was thankfully empty when he arrived.

 

When he told Vic about the letter, she just laughed at Robert through the phone. She thought it was the funniest thing ever, “You really do have bad taste in music, Rob.” She laughed.

 

Robert bristled, this wasn’t the reaction he was hoping he’d get. “Don’t you think it’s unbelievably rude for someone to do that? Talk about a warm welcome to the building.”

 

“I’m sure it was in good jest. I wouldn’t worry about it. Don’t overthink it. And if you see him in person, maybe set him straight and tell him you’ll turn down the music.” Vic suggested, still not sympathizing with Robert’s irritation.

 

He didn’t just want to set things “straight”, as Vic put it. He wanted to tell off his neighbor. Their work schedules seemed to be completely off, though, as he never heard his neighbor go into his flat.

 

But fate was on Robert’s side, when one evening, there was a loud commotion coming down the hall, and it was gradually getting louder. Annoyed, Robert got up from his couch to spy outside to see what was going on. His neighbor was at his door unlocking his front door. Robert always suspected his neighbor was a male, but seeing his silhouette finally confirmed it. He couldn’t make out what he looked like as his back was towards Robert’s door, but he knew now that his grumpy neighbor had dark black hair. He was obviously pissed as he kept fumbling with his keys. There were two other men standing around the front door. One had his hand on Robert’s neighbor shoulder shout-talking, while the other was laughing obnoxiously. 

 

Robert shook his head, annoyed, but went back to his couch to continue watching tv. Even after they went into the flat, Robert could hear them. There was yelling and laughing and curses, Robert hoped it was because they were playing some kind of video game or watching some kind of sport and not a domestic he would have to phone the police over. 

 

Their shouting continued for a few hours into late evening, and Robert finally realized he could use this as revenge for the note he had received. Scrambling for some scrap paper and a pen, he penned a note that would hopefully be as upsetting to his neighbor like it was to Robert.

 

_ “Hey grumpy asshole, if I have to turn down my own music, then tell your loud mates you have neighbors who go to bed at a reasonable hour.” _

 

Robert threw his door open and quickly crossed the hall to pin his note, hoping none of the occupants of the other side of the door were going to leave. Clipping the note to the door, he rushed back to his own flat, feeling vindictive. He wondered if this was what Vic had in mind when she told him to set his neighbor straight.

 

When Robert was leaving the next day, he was surprised that his note was longer there, and instead a note hung from his own clip. A slight sense of dread filled him when he picked the note up and read. There was a very crude drawing of what Robert assumed was a middle finger and all that was written were the words “ _ Fuck off _ .”

 

Looking at the note, he realized it was written on the same paper Robert wrote his note, just flipped over for his neighbor to write back. Apparently this was going to be Robert’s life, because there was no way he was going to back down from his neighbor’s completely rude attitude. He once again stuffed the note into his messenger bag, and contemplated how he was going to retaliate.

 

\---

 

“I think you need to give your note love affair a break, at least for one night.” Vic said one evening, interrupting Robert mid-rant on the latest note he received from his neighbor. 

 

She was right - Robert had become fixated with posting a snarky note and waiting for an equally snarky response. Robert doesn't know how much he means the words on his notes, but it had become an obsession to anticipate the response hanging from his door when he got home. Its words usually upsetting Robert enough for him to ruin his evenings while he tried to think of a clever response back. He liked to think, since he leaves his notes on his way out in the mornings, that it ruins his neighbor’s morning and day. 

 

Robert sat in a pub after seeing some stock in Vic’s advice when he realized he did indeed have a problem. He needed some kind of distraction from pacing in his flat and thinking on how he could annoy his neighbor. 

 

That distraction came in the shape of a cold beer. The pub he sat in was walking distance from his flat, and had decent enough beers on tap that would satisfy his taste for a cold Yorkshire beer. Before his divorce, Robert wouldn’t have been caught dead in a pub alone, feeling too self conscious about being by himself. After the divorce, he shed some of that dependency on other people to have a good time and could enjoy the occasional drink by himself - it was easy enough to make friends or pull that way.

 

There was a raucous laugh that grabbed Robert’s attention. It was a group of three males sitting at a table. Two of them had beards and the other was darker skinned. One of the bearded men was probably the most handsome man Robert had ever laid eyes on. Even though he had a similar build and look to the other bearded man, there was something much more captivating to him. Robert didn’t want to stare, but he couldn’t help sneaking a few glances to the group.

 

Robert hadn’t been with anyone since the finalization of his divorce, which was some kind of record for him. He just hadn’t found the energy to try to pull, too caught up with starting his life over and fighting with his neighbor. The man was well fit and Robert wanted to talk to him.

 

Robert had just ordered his third beer when the fit man had come over to the bar next to Robert, no doubt his turn for the rounds. Up close, he was even more handsome, but looked vaguely familiar, like someone he had passed by before. 

 

When the bartender asked what he was after, the man asked for a bucket of Bud Lights and a pint of whatever lager was on tap. The man’s order made Robert snort into his drink - typical that a lad’s night out would result in shitty cheap beer. His snort drew the attention of the other man who looked at Robert with an unamused face.

 

“Got a problem, mate?” The man asked Robert throwing a glance to Robert. His eyes were a hue of blue that were stunning. If Robert continued down his path of drinking tonight, he’d probably say something embarrassingly cheesy about those eyes. 

 

“No, no. Just feeling sorry for you and your mates’ taste buds. Why you would subject them to shitty beer when we live in Yorkshire is a mystery.” Robert smirked taking a drink of his own beer. The man took a long look at Robert, unsure if Robert was being checked out or just being looked at because he had just insulted this man. Either way, Robert felt his stomach drop in anticipation.

 

“Lemme guess: you're drinking some poncy craft beer so you think you have the only opinion on beer.” The fit man scoffed, after taking in Robert, and looked back to the bar, waiting for the bartender to return with his order. 

 

“A better right than you do, mate.” Robert was enjoying slightly winding up this stranger. He just hoped the man was good natured enough to take the winding up.

 

“Me mum owns a pub.” 

 

“And how does she feel knowing her son publicly drinks shit beer?” Robert teased, he wouldn't call himself a beer snob but it was a tragedy seeing someone as fit as this stranger drink generic beer. The stranger huffed out a small laugh before finally turning to face Robert.

 

“You’ve got a real ego on you.” The man said, but despite his words, he looked oddly charmed by Robert’s teasing.

 

“I’m Robert” He offered, wanting to know more about this man. The man hesitated when the bucket and pint were placed in front of him. Chewing on his lip, he told the bartender it was under the name Dingle and that he was closing out. Dingle looked at Robert again apologetically, “Let me run these to me mates, or they’ll yell at me.” He promised. Daringly, he left his pint on the bar with Robert and grabbed the bucket to hand to his friends. They most likely had been watching Robert and Dingle, because they were laughing at Dingle when he got to their table. He spoke to them for a bit and then headed back to the bar to Robert.

 

“Are you going to tell me your name or am I just going to have to call you Dingle?” Robert asked when Dingle had sat next to Robert again. Dingle smiled, and then reached over the bar, took Robert’s drink and loudly taking a slurp of the beer.

 

“Ugh. An IPA?” He made a face of disgust as he put the beer back down. “My name is Aaron. Dingle is my last name.” The man,  _ Aaron _ , said with a flirty smile. Robert desperately wanted to take another drink of his beer, so his lips could touch where Aaron had put his mouth to drink.

 

The two started chatting with one another about innocuous things. It was incredibly easy to talk to this once stranger. Robert wondered if he would be able to convince him to ditch his friends and go home with him. He took a chance, and put his hand on Aaron’s thigh. Aaron smirked at Robert and placed his hand atop of Robert’s. Embolden, Robert leaned over, Aaron closed his eyes and was about to lean, when-

 

“Hey lover boy!” Aaron’s bearded friend yelled across the bar. Aaron pulled away, mostly out of embarrassment of being shouted at in a busy pub. “Let’s move out!” Robert could kill Aaron’s friend. Aaron seemed to have had the same feeling, he turned to look at his friend shaking his head in annoyance. 

 

“I-I guess I gotta go. They will never let me live this down.” Aaron looked at Robert with reluctance.

 

“I wish you wouldn’t.” Robert licked his lips. He had been  _ so _ fucking close to kissing Aaron. That damned bearded man knew what he was doing, and Robert could strangle him for it.

 

“Aaron!” His friends were getting impatient, and Aaron looked truly regretful. Robert was about to try to convince Aaron to stay when Aaron leaned forward and kissed Robert squarely on the mouth. Robert barely had any time to react when Aaron broke it, licking his lips with a crooked smile. Robert thought he was going to erupt in flames with that look and wished more than anything he could tell Aaron’s friends to piss off.

 

“Soz, mate. Maybe I’ll see you here again.” Aaron said when Robert said nothing. He leaned over and gave another kiss, this time on Robert’s cheek, and then sprinted off towards his friends. They started needling him as soon as he caught up with them and Aaron seemed to take it all in stride. Robert had put his hand on his cheek where Aaron had kissed it.

 

Right before leaving the pub, Aaron threw one last look at Robert and gave him a wink before ducking out. Robert was going to listen to Vic more often if nights like these would happen on the regular.

 

\---

 

Robert was in a good mood. He would have been in a better mood if he had gone home with Aaron, but the flirting and talking to someone really was what he needed. He had spent too many nights holed up in his flat that the smallest of interactions was enough to pull him out of his funk. The fact it was with someone as fit as Aaron made it all the better. 

 

Robert’s good mood wasn’t even affected when he had accidentally triggered his smoke detector when he was cooking and had received a note from his neighbor about learning how to cook. Robert thought his neighbor was bold to write that when Robert had heard his alarm go off almost everyday, so Robert wrote as much when he responded back.

 

He wanted to see Aaron again, he wanted to go to the pub again to see if Aaron would show up, but he didn’t want to look too keen. Instead, he spent a week tormenting his neighbor by playing his music too loudly and cooking dishes that would require him to use his blender and other noisy appliances. His neighbor, in turn, always made his presence known when he was coming home, either slamming his door loudly or coming home pissed with his loud friends. 

 

Idly, Robert knew he could look out the peephole to see when he neighbor was coming home so he could tell him off in person, but at the same this element of torturing each other had almost become playful. It was no longer as malicious but just being annoying for the sake of being annoying. Robert wondered if it would eventually peter out and they would become indifferent toward one another.

 

Three weeks after chatting Aaron up at the pub, Robert returned. He knew it was a gamble - there was no certainty Aaron frequented this pub nor if he would remember Robert. But even if Aaron wasn’t there, he had spent three weekends in his flat alone and he didn’t want to get cabin fever. The pub was filled with only a few people, but Robert looked at every last one of them, hoping to see Aaron’s mates or Aaron himself. Defeated at not seeing him, Robert went to the bar to order a pint. 

 

The night was quiet enough, a few rowdy punters but otherwise was uneventful. There was a football match on that had Robert’s mild curiosity. Robert would occasionally throw a glance to the entrance, hoping Aaron would come in. His glances rewarded him when he unbelievably saw Aaron enter the pub late in the evening. It seemed he was looking for someone as his eyes scanned the pub, and then landed on Robert. He smiled softly and made his way over to Robert, every step closer to Robert made him feel excited.

 

“Hiya.” Aaron said with a shy smile when he reached Robert. “Drinking another poncy beer, I see.”

 

“Wasn’t sure you’d remember me without it.” Robert said back, feeling almost giddy at seeing Aaron, and even more, seeing him alone. Aaron shook his head with a short laugh that lit Robert aflame. There was no mistake this time - Robert was going home with Aaron.

 

They fell into a conversation after that. It was just as easy as it was the first time they met. Occasionally, Robert would shift closer to Aaron, and every time, Aaron would smile knowingly. They weren’t fooling each other with what they wanted but it was still fun to have an effortless flirtatious conversation with one another.

 

The night marched on, and soon the bartenders were announcing last calls for the punters. Aaron got up after the announcement, and Robert immediately stood up as well, placing a hand on Aaron’s arm softly.

 

“Are you going to leave me again?” Robert asked swaying softly back and forth.

 

“No.” Aaron responded, copying Robert’s swaying. Robert smiled and reach down to pull Aaron into a kiss. This kiss felt more promising than their last, especially because Robert initiated it, and Robert knew he was gone for Aaron. Two kisses and two meetings was enough for him to be in the deep end with this beautiful man.

 

“My place is very close,” Robert said after breaking away from Aaron, smiling, Robert’s tongue sticking between his teeth.

 

“Mine is closer,” Aaron replied, with a coy smile. Vaguely, Robert doubted Aaron’s was closer considering Robert’s flat was in walking distance, but he wasn’t about to start an argument on the logistics of who was closer. All Robert knew was that he needed Aaron in a bed with him.

 

They quickly settled their tabs and were out of the pub in minutes. Aaron grabbed Robert’s hand and they began walking towards Aaron’s flat. Apparently it  _ was  _ closer, since it was obvious they were going to walk there. 

 

A few times on their walk, Robert pulled Aaron into a kiss, impatient to get them alone. Aaron was eager enough for the stops, but always the one to break and continue their trek to Aaron’s flat. The direction they were going seemed familiar, and before Robert knew it, he was in his own neighborhood.

 

When it became apparent the complex Aaron lived in was the same Robert lived in, he stopped and held Aaron’s arm, “Hang on, do you live in these flats?” Robert probably would have noticed much sooner if he wasn’t distracted by Aaron’s hand in his and their stops for kisses.

 

“Yeah,” Aaron spoke the word slowly, as if Robert was an idiot.

 

“So do I.” Robert was in disbelief, and it seemed Aaron was too, judging by his face.

 

“You’re joking.”

 

“I swear I’m not.”

 

“Guess your place was just as close.” Aaron chuckled, then squinted at Robert, “Well maybe not, what flat are you in?”

 

“319.” 

 

Aaron made an ugly face at Robert, shaking his head. “Is this some kind of wind up?” He demanded.

 

“What are you on about?” Robert was confused with Aaron’s reaction. The back of his mind, he think he knew, but before he fully connected it, Aaron was answering him, “I’m in 320.”

 

Standing in front of Robert, someone he was about to sleep with, was the man he had been leaving angry notes to for the past three months he had been living at his flat. Robert had envisioned many different scenarios he would meet his neighbor, but he never for a second thought it was because he had picked him up from the bar. The absurdity of the situation really only allowed for one reaction: laughter. He erupted in laughter, and he could hear Aaron following suit.

 

“This is mad.” Robert said through a fit of laughter. “You know you’re a right bastard.”

 

“I could say the same thing about you, mate.” Aaron responded. “You were being especially annoying these few weeks.”

 

“Yeah well I needed someone to torment so I wouldn’t think about you.” Robert could not believe what was happening right now. He had a hard time reconciling the man he has flirted with for two nights to his grumpy neighbor. Aaron laughed and pulled Robert into a kiss. 

 

“Think my flat is still closer.” Aaron said after unlocking his door. Robert laughed, pushing Aaron softly onto his bed and leaning over to kiss him.

 

“I think you need to be quiet now.”

 

\---

 

Robert and Aaron continued to sleep with one another after that first night. It was incredibly easy for Robert to walk across the hallway and knock on Aaron’s door if he wanted sex. Aaron seemed to think the same thing as he equally would knock on Robert’s door in the evenings.

 

The two of them were enjoying the nature of their fuck buddy situation. Some evenings though, they wouldn’t immediately go to bed. Sometimes, they would talk about each other. Robert learned that Aaron’s family was from Emmerdale, a village near Hotten where Victoria lived and Robert grew up. Robert would sometimes go to Emmerdale when he was growing up, it was yet another strange connection that Aaron and Robert seemed to share.

 

Robert told Aaron about Chrissie, and surprisingly, he didn’t get upset when he found out that Robert was bisexual. Robert didn’t say he was bi in so many words, but he thought Aaron seemed to have understood when Robert talked about how he sometimes would miss Chrissie and believed they were truly in love at one point.

 

Everyday Robert felt like he was in too deep with Aaron. He continued to feel like he was the most beautiful person he had ever slept with, not even Chrissie could compare. And he was incredibly funny; at least to Robert. Robert eventually met the two friends that were hassling Aaron at the pub: Ellis and Adam. They didn’t seem to think Aaron was very funny, groaning whenever Robert laughed.

 

When Vic had asked about his crusade into annoying his neighbor, Robert vaguely said they settled their differences finally and that they got along. Which was true, they rarely posted notes to each other afterwards. Occasionally, if Robert had to leave to work after spending the night with Aaron, he’d leave a good morning note on the clip, but it was just fun at that point.

 

\---

 

Robert was awoken to the ringing of his phone one morning. Aaron stirred next to him, but remained asleep. Waking next to Aaron had become a habit; it was easy to knock on each other's door and alternate between the two flats. Robert had found himself waking next to Aaron more times than not these past few weeks. He gazed at Aaron, who snorted softly next to him. Aaron may be the fittest person he had ever been with, affection and attraction pulled at his heart whenever he looked at the younger man. 

 

He wasn’t sure if it was too soon to think it, but Robert was in love with Aaron. He hadn’t said anything to Aaron because he wasn’t sure if that would make the other man bolt. It took Robert well over a year before telling Chrissie he loved her, but then again, their relationship didn’t end well, so it’s not like it was a staple on what a good relationship should be. Being with Aaron was so comfortable - in their conversations, their intimacy, their silences. Robert believed Aaron feels the same way.

 

Robert felt his eyelids grow heavy and was getting ready to fall back to sleep when he abruptly remembered the reason he was awake in the first place. He rolled over and grabbed his phone, squinting as the brightness irritated his still tired eyes. There were several missed calls and texts from Victoria. 

 

Hastily, Robert moved out from the bed, no doubt disturbing Aaron, and into the living room to call Vic back. "Are you home?" Vic asked in lieu of a greeting when she answered. 

 

"Yeah, yeah I'm home, what's wrong?" Robert was still half asleep and couldn't figure out why Vic was asking his whereabouts. 

 

"Oh  _ really _ ? Because I've been knocking on your door for what feels like flipping hours!" Trepidation filled his body like a switch when he understood the meaning of her words. He had forgotten that he and Vic were going to have lunch and spend the afternoon together, his eyes flew to the microwave and sure it enough, it announced it was half past eleven. 

 

"I-" The words stuck to the back of his throat, feeling caught out. He was technically home, just not in his flat, but he couldn't explain that to Victoria. He started to feel panic rise to his throat as he tried to get out of this self imposed situation he had gotten himself into. The last thing he wanted was Vic to see him walk out from Aaron's flat. 

 

"Hellooo, are you still there?" Vic’s tinny voice knocked him out of his mid-panic. 

 

"Give me a break, Vic, I went drinking last night and I'm hung over. Go pick a restaurant and I'll grab a shower and meet you there." Robert closed his eyes, hating himself a little lying to Vic. 

 

"Fine, but don't be too long!" Robert barely even heard her because when he had opened his eyes again, he saw Aaron standing by the door with a hurt expression on his face. 

 

"Forgot Vic was coming today." Robert said after promising Vic he'd be there soon and hanging up with her. 

 

"I gathered. I'm just wondering why you lied to her. Pretty sure she wouldn't have minded coming across the hall to wait while you got ready. I mean, she knows about us, doesn't she?" Aaron asked a perfectly reasonable question - it has been over six months since that second meeting in the pub and their relationship had moved from just sleeping with one another into a proper relationship. Vic had been by many times in the six months they've been together. 

 

"Rob, she knows right?" Aaron pressed when Robert didn't say anything. He continued to hesitate, trying to find the words to tell Aaron that it wasn’t that he was ashamed of him. But no matter how it was turned it indeed looked like Robert was ashamed of their relationship. Robert's silence was enough for realization to dawn on Aaron's face. "Oh, I see."

 

“Aaron-” Robert tried to explain.

 

“I think you should go,” Aaron interrupted firmly. When Robert made no move to leave, Aaron walked towards him and pushed him somewhat roughly. “You need to leave Robert, now.”

 

Robert didn’t want to leave, he knew Aaron was upset, and it was understandable. He spoke about how much Vic mattered to him as she was the only family that Robert had left, and for him not to tell her about the person he was dating, of course it was hurtful to hear. 

 

Aaron wasn’t having any of it, and had to push Robert completely out of the flat. When Robert turned to say something, Aaron slammed the door on his face. He knocked a few times on the door pleading for Aaron to listen but it was obvious his knocks were being ignored.

 

When Robert joined Vic for lunch, he gave short answers, not in the mood to talk. Vic, believing he was hung over still, didn’t remark too much about the fact Robert was in a bad mood. She did leave earlier than they had planned, which made Robert feel even worse about everything.

 

After Vic left, Robert immediately knocked on Aaron’s door for fifteen minutes. Aaron’s stubbornness was rivaled by no one, and in this case the door remained steadfastly closed. Robert sent texts, and called a few times, but still there was no response. 

 

“Aaron please, please. It’s not what you think.” Robert said on his phone leaving his nth voicemail to plead his case. He fell asleep to the sound of Aaron’s voicemail going off saying the inbox was full. 

 

Some day this turned out to be.

 

\---

 

Running out of options on what he could do to talk to Aaron, he decided he’d go back to how they used to communicate, and post a note to his door. That way, Robert would be able to know when Aaron would read it and maybe, just maybe, it would touch Aaron enough to want to speak to Robert again.

 

Grabbing some paper and a pen, he couldn’t find the words he truly wanted to say, so he kept it simple enough that would get Aaron to respond.

 

“ _ Aaron -  _

_ I wish you weren’t blanking me and would give me a chance to explain. Please. I miss you so much. xRobert” _

 

Robert wondered if the ‘x’ was a little heavy handed, but he wanted to convey to Aaron that he still cared so much. Even more, he felt stupid to resort to begging through notes again, but he was at his wits’ end on trying to get Aaron to come around. It had been two weeks since Vic had visited and he had not seen nor heard from Aaron. Robert wanted to be angry, but he remembered the hurt on Aaron’s face when he realized Robert had kept their relationship a secret.

 

Another few days had passed since Robert had posted the note and there it had remained. Aaron was deliberately ignoring Robert in all possible ways and it was then that Robert got upset. He was trying to make it all right and Aaron was being an ass about it. He had gone home that night with a bottle of the strongest whisky he could find and drank himself into a stupor. With each top off, he felt himself getting increasingly angrier and angrier. Why couldn’t Aaron just try to see reason and an honest attempt at an apology?

 

His supposed self-righteous anger made him pull out his phone and dialed Aaron. Predictably, he didn’t answer and Robert, whose tongue had been loosen from an evening of drinking, let out his anger, “We could have had something real good Aaron, and yeah, maybe I didn’t tell Vic about us, but that didn’t mean what we had wasn’t real. I wish you could see that, you messed us up Aaron by getting so prissy. Other people knew, so what does it matter about Vic, huh? You ruined us Aaron, you.”

 

\---

 

The next morning, Robert woke up to a text from Aaron. His heart stopped when he remembered all the stupid shit he had said in his drunken haze. Dreading what Aaron could possibly say, Robert first got out of bed and made a cup of tea. Anxiously, he unlocked his phone and read the words that sealed the deal of their relationship:

 

_ “Dont ever contact me again.”  _

 

Robert wanted to curl up and die after reading those words. He couldn’t believe how badly he had fucked it up with Aaron. Robert knew better that when he got angry he needed to be alone because the words that normally came out were ugly. He thought about his dad, and what he would say in this instance, but then got angry, it was because of his dad he was in the mess he was in. If Aaron had known, then maybe...maybe…

 

But no, Aaron made himself clear, Robert had been an asshole and now he lost his chance at talking to him. 

 

\---

 

Vic was visiting Robert again for the first time since Aaron and Robert’s split. Robert made sure he was up way sooner than lunch time. Vic doesn’t hold grudges but after the miserable git he had been the last time she had been here, Robert wanted to make sure it was a much better visit.

 

He debated telling her about Aaron the last time she was here. But it had been too fresh, her own visit the reason they had split. Since then, he had crafted what he had wanted to say to Vic in careful controlled words. Many nights, before falling asleep, Robert imagined having a conversation about his sexuality and what she would say back. Some nights, the conversation would end with happy tears and hugs, other nights ended with Vic recoiling in disgust and saying he was a shame to their family.

 

Lunch went much better than the last time, and they were joking and telling each other stories. Throughout the time, Robert kept telling himself to stop being a coward and to tell Vic about Aaron. They left the restaurant and were walking back to Robert’s flat when he felt it. He didn’t know why it was now, but his anxiety had had enough, it was time.

 

“Hey Vic?” Robert said before realizing what he was doing. He felt the words he had crafted so many times wanting to burst past his mouth before his mind could catch up. He knew it was the anxiety of what could happen that was causing this feeling, and before he could really register what he was doing, he was saying, “You know how sometimes, er people aren’t always comfortable with themselves? I’m really comfortable with who I am, but not always. Does that make sense?”

 

Vic gave Robert a bewildered look, “Er, not really. Try slowing down and starting over?” Vic said it in a kind way, not mocking way, which Robert appreciated. 

 

“Vic...I’m...er bisexual. I’m bisexual.” Robert had never said the word bisexual aloud. When he first saw the word he wept because he finally felt understood, but he never had uttered it when talking about himself.

 

Vic gave Robert the softest of smiles as she put her arms around him. “Oh Rob. I’m sorry you thought you had to struggle to tell me that. I’m proud of ya, Robert.”

 

Whenever the conversation Robert imagined was a positive one, it always ended with Vic crying. He never imagined he would be the one crying. But sure enough, having Vic hug him and say those words, he began to weep. It was so easy. 

 

When Robert finally composed himself, he told her about Aaron. About meeting him at the pub the first night and falling for him, about the second night and finding out they were neighbors, about their fight and split when Aaron found out about Vic not knowing about them. And finally, about his drunk angry voicemail he left Aaron. The whole time, Vic squeezed Robert’s hand, and at the end she threw her arms around him again for a hug.

 

“Well now I want to meet this Aaron. Clearly he means the world to ya.” Vic said with a teasing smile.

 

“Eh, did you not hear a word I just said? We’re finished as far as he’s concerned.” Robert wanted nothing more than to introduce Aaron to Vic, and it wasn’t just because that’s what they fought over. Robert had wanted to introduce them far sooner than that.

 

“You’re going through a rough patch. If you love him like I’m feeling you might do, then you’ll find a way to get him back.” Vic smiled, not realizing what her words meant to Robert. He did, he did love Aaron, but he never told him that. Vic asked Robert more questions about Aaron that he was happy to answer. When the sun started to lower, Vic began to get ready to leave. She gave one last hug to Robert and told him to sort himself out because the next time she was back in Leeds, she was going to meet Aaron.

  
  


\---

 

Robert had felt a newfound wave of courage in speaking to Aaron. Vic had been so encouraging in telling Robert to try one last time to talk to Aaron. It felt like maybe, something right was happening in his life after all these mistakes. Vic’s support made Robert feel like he was finally shedding himself from the self-imposed closet he had put himself in after so many years. Robert was going to be away on a business trip for the next three days, and knew it would be a good enough time to write everything he wanted to tell Aaron.

 

_ “I know you said you didn’t want me to contact you anymore, and I get it. Really, I do. But first I need to apologize at the shitty voicemail, I was drunk, I know thats not a good excuse. But its the best i can tell you. There’s something you should know about me, and my dad…” _

 

After finishing the note, he felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He hadn’t ever put words to what had happened to him and his dad when he was fifteen. But writing it was cathartic enough, he just hoped Aaron would understand a little about the mess Robert was with that letter.

 

The morning he was leaving for his business trip, he posted his note to letter along with the first one. Praying Aaron would read it, because something as person as what he wrote needed to be for Aaron’s eyes only.

 

\---

 

When Robert returned from his trip, he noticed a piece of paper hanging from his clip. There were no other papers on the other doors, and even Aaron’s was empty. Heart racing, he rushed to his door to grab the piece of paper to read it. He wanted to read it in the privacy of his flat, and hurried in to read words from the person he longed for the most.

 

Robert’s heart sunk completely when he saw it was from management alerting him that the water had been scheduled to be shut off for work during the time he wasn’t even at home. Letting out a frustrated shout, he began ripping the paper to shreds. He took a chance in telling Aaron about Jack, but apparently it wasn’t enough to move him. 

 

Robert was angry - at himself, at his drunken stupidity, at his cowardice of not telling Vic. He knew he messed up, and at this point, it seemed like it was a good enough time to stop trying, he was going to go crazy.

 

He sat down heavily, and looked around his flat pathetically. He had come to love this place, it finally felt like his home with his new life. Now, he can barely look at it without thinking about Aaron. His maudlin thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door.

 

Sluggish, he went to the door and opened it, stunned to see Aaron standing in front of him. He looked so beautiful - his hair had grown in the time they’d been apart, soft curls at the top of his head. Robert couldn’t find words staring at Aaron, at this point of his stupid mistakes, he didn’t think he’d see Aaron ever again.

 

“Hiya.” Aaron said after a long beat of silence, the two of them staring at each other. “I was away when you wrote your note, and then I guessed you were gone when I got back because only your door and my door had the letter about the water.”

 

“I thought you had completely written me off.” Robert softly said.  _ In for a penny _ , Robert thought as he moved to the side of his door to let Aaron in. Robert did an internal cheer when Aaron accepted the invitation, and walked into his flat.

 

“I needed to clear my head of you, so I went home to see my mum. Don’t think she’s a great fan of you, I was getting ready to head back when you left that voicemail, so I stayed longer than I had originally planned.” Aaron explained, he looked around the flat and no doubt saw the mess Robert made when he had ripped the note from management to bits. Aaron luckily made no comment about it, but turned to look at Robert expectantly. 

 

“I told Vic about us last week. It didn’t go the way I thought it would,” Robert thought back to his anxiety induced word vomit and subsequent tears. “She didn’t know I’m bi, that’s why I hadn’t told her about us. I have never been ashamed of you Aaron, I was ashamed of my sexuality. It’s why my marriage fell apart, and…” Here he hesitated because he wasn’t sure if Aaron had read his note about Jack, “And why my father and I were on bad terms when he died. Vic is my only family that I have, and I was scared she wouldn’t accept it. I have felt like a disaster for so long in my life, but when I’m with you, I feel like I could be myself, you know? That you take the disaster that I am, and make me feel a little more whole. I would have told Vic about us as soon as possible if she knew I was bi, but…”

 

Aaron had moved towards Robert, and pulled him down so they could sit on the couch. “Yeah I get that now. I read what you wrote. About your dad. I’m sorry, too.”

 

Having even the slightest of contact from Aaron when he pulled Robert to the couch spurred him to say what he had wanted to say to Aaron for weeks, “I love you. I’m sorry I got angry and said that shit I said. I didn’t mean it.”

 

Aaron had tears in his eyes when Robert declared his love, and he closed his eyes softly. He sat there with his eyes closed for a few seconds, but to Robert it felt like an eternity. Eventually, Aaron opened his eyes and looked at Robert with a soft smile. “I love you, too. But we start being honest with each other from now on, yeah?”

 

“Yes, yes, absolutely.” Robert agreed immediately. “Also Vic wants to meet you. I told her we had split when I finally came out to her, but she was confident we’d work it out.”

 

Aaron smiled at those words and leaned in to finally  _ finally _ kiss Robert again. It had been a long month and a half but to feel Aaron’s lips touch again rejuvenated all the heartache and anger Robert had been feeling towards himself. He pulled Aaron into a long hug, and it felt like he was coming home. He had Aaron, he was out to his sister, he had a decent job, and a pretty great flat. Starting over had never looked so good.

 

Later, when they were in bed, and Robert started drifting to sleep, he heard Aaron huff in laughter. When Robert made a questioning noise, Aaron whispered, “I can't believe I fell in love with someone who listens to such shitty music.”

 

It was Robert’s turn to laugh, remembering that very first note he had received from Aaron, his grumpy neighbor. It felt full-circle, and it made Robert giddy with excitement to think about their future together. "Shut up and kiss me you grump." 

 

And Aaron did just that.

**Author's Note:**

> I have not written fics since I was in high school, and I just graduated from graduate school. But my love for Robron has inspired me to want to write again!


End file.
